Man donates 100 gallons of blood, saves 2,000+ lives

Carrol Sharp, of Jacksonville, sat down at The Blood Alliance at the Mayo Clinic's Donor room on Monday to do something he has been doing since the late 1960s.

by David Williams / First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Carrol Sharp, of Jacksonville, sat down at The Blood Alliance at the Mayo Clinic's Donor room on Monday to do something he has been doing since the late 1960s.

He gave blood.

This was no ordinary blood donation for him.

According to Odette Struys, with The Blood Alliance, Sharp gave his 100th gallon of blood Wednesday afternoon.

To put this into perspective, Struys said one pint of blood can save three lives. When you do the math, Sharp has given 800 pints of blood, which means he has helped save at least 2,400 lives.

"I am just glad to be healthy, and able to help others who need blood," Sharp said in a press release from The Blood Alliance. "Life is about what you can do for other people. My wife and daughter have both been donors as well, and my daughter continues to do so in Orange Park. I always encourage my friends to donate every chance I get!"

Struys said Sharp began donating blood while living in Louisville, Kentucky in the late 1960s. Sharp moved to Jacksonville in 1976 and never stopped giving blood.

The Blood Alliance said Sharp switched to donating blood platelets shortly after moving to Florida and has made more than 550 platelet donations to-date.

Struys said through the years, Sharp was a match for the Human Leukocyte Antigen, which helps patients minimize rejection of blood transfusions.

"It is the most rewarding donation when you know your gift of life is going to immediately help a particular patient in the hospital," Sharp said in the release. "It just makes you really feel good about donating."

Sharp is not the only person who has given 100 gallons of blood.

According to The Blood Alliance, the other four members of the "100-gallon donor club" are: